Online cycling and/or baseball manager type timewasters?

[Sits]

It’s a load of Cobblers isn’t it?

[longeared]

Unexpectedly won a race in the Haute Savoie this morning - got Quentin Ritter in the break and he managed to outsprint someone better than him, which was all a pleasant surprise. Quentin Ritter has been training and preparing himself for this race. It's an important victory - both for Quentin Ritter but also for the team. First time I've won a race outside the beginner division with someone other than Namgung.

[Sits]

Congratulations!

Hunzberger got a 6th place yesterday which is our best finish in Division 5. Little acorns.

[delicatemoth]

Radomsko - Kruszyna is a slightly odd race, requiring HL-FR-SP of 5-4-3, and we bring a slightly odd team, including what could be an indulgence on my part in Neville. The race is on Wednesday afternoon.

Vencill (Cap); Illingworth, Farnum, Kavanagh (LOs); Snowden (TeamMate); Shamus Neville (Breakaway)

[Sits]

Who does or doesn’t use a Water Carrier? I’d been meaning to ask, and noticed there wasn’t one listed in that Manx lineup.

I tend to use one but often wonder.

[longeared]

Depends on the importance of the race and the other roles I set, but generally I use a water carrier in about two-thirds of my races. Didn't have one today interestingly.

[Sits]

Interesting. As mentioned I usually do without giving it a second thought. But if there are five team mates who all have sufficient skill levels to contribute, is it better to let them do so, or sacrifice the weakest for the canteen and energy bar boost?

I suppose the answer is: depends how weak is the weakest.

[delicatemoth]

You can't nominate those individual roles in NT races, you can only select Captain, Lead Out, Team Mate or Breakaway. In my own races I usually use a water carrier, I only duck them for races where everyone is set to Breakaway (aka Team Spirit restoration).

[Sits]

Thanks dm

[matt j]

Whew, Kavanagh and Crumley finally reset on top form (pointlessly? Guess we'll see when I'm back in the 5th and 4th), Cuthbert training the youngsters, a few training sessions thrown at a couple potentials, and now the old hill 'somewhat' specialist I hired to get him to retire is finally ready to do just that

And I've got a big 140k coming in tomorrow from sponsors.

Time to get invested again.

[Sits]

Having finally finished (over)training my Hill/Tour jack-of-all-trades Remco Hooiveld, I have switched my cash and attention to Dane Thomas Hansson. He is the first of a trio of future domestiques I hope will provide flexibility to the climb squad:

Thomas Hansson (DEN, 24)
CL Average
DH Small
HL Very Good

Wilhelm Bang (NOR, 23)
CL Very Good
DH Small
HL Small

Lonzo Obregon (ESP, 22)
CL Small
DH Very Good
HL Average

So for these riders I’m only going to train these three attributes: Hansson first due to age, then Bang & Obregon* in tandem^ so they can both contribute sooner.

Obregon I bought off the Transfer thread, after asking for a VG downhiller and got him for $45k, which was tidy.

*see what I did there?
^I know, no tandems allowed.

[matt j]

A couple IoM youngsters scouted today:

Name: Frederick Schwan

Potential:

CL: Good DH: None HL: Small

SP: Average FR: None CB: None

TT: Small TQ: Average

Name: Joseph Lown

Potential:

CL: None DH: Small HL: Average

SP: None FR: Average CB: Average

TT: None TQ: Small

Name: Vernon Liston

Potential:

CL: Small DH: None HL: Small

SP: None FR: None CB: Incredible

TT: None TQ: Small

Not really much going on there unless desperate for a Cobbler.

[longeared]

Got some free scouts through a sponsor deal so used one on the new IoM lad Alex Traphagen.

CL: Small DH: Small HL: Small

SP: Small FR: Good CB: None

TT: Small TQ: Average

[Sits]

Thanks longeared.

Assume everyone is aware of the Free Hire List thread? They are currently on Free Hire List #6. It’s basically managers doing what longeared just did. I’ve picked up a couple of prospects off there now.

[matt j]

Fox River returned to 'real' racing with Kavanagh pulling a third on his return. A reasonable restart, though I think the winner was an actual breakaway rider (not great AV).

Stack of races this week, then hopefully a more ordered approach to things after.

[delicatemoth]

Hi gang. I think I missed an NT race this week as I've been heavily distracted by various things (not least the volume of real-life cycling on right now). My X11 teams have been suffering too. The next NT race is a sprint and I'll make sure Man are in for it.

On the up side, Carder secured a victory in Div 5 and my team's number 3 rider, Przybylski, scored a 2nd place in the same division the other week. It's worth noting that both Przybylski (202 climber, highest stat DH 71) and my number 2, Sagharchi (202 climber, CL 74, scored a 4th place this season) were picked up after I spotted them on the Free Hire forum thread mentioned by Sits.

Also this week - my original captain, Kim Keithley, retired to become a trainer, and seems to have instantly trained a point of HL (71->72) into Harold Paulus today, without us having a race. Hope this happens more often.

[Sits]

Nice going dm. So cam trainers help maxed riders continue to develop?

[delicatemoth]

Yes, they do. But bear in mind what I mentioned a couple of pages back; if you leave a rider on e.g. 59 in a key attribute that isn't maxed there is a chance he will tick up to e.g. 60 and then you will curse as you have to shell out the higher rate for a training camp.

[matt j]

Nice results DM.

The free hire list can be great if you see a rider posted that is borderline (very good, but not a perfect match for a top tier teams). I've picked up a couple from there, I think Holen, Abbas, and Tolers (the first maxed early, but still got to 81 CL; Abbas has a good shot at being a very decent LO1 still; Tolers is youngish 85 TT who finished 9th in a race today).

Since the trainers work in the same system as race training, you definitely want to make sure you aren't leaving your trainable riders at 'x9' to avoid the price rollover. I think they generally make the race training 'more likely', and better riders make better trainers. I'm also working on the assumption that 'any' trainer is better than no trainer at all. I looked this all up in the forums months ago, so I hope I'm remembering it right.

Hopefully I can get trainer Cuthbert to roll Kavanagh up just enough to be slightly more competitive at the highest levels.

[Sits]

Good intel both thanks.

[Sits]

Hunzberger won a race in D5!!!

[matt j]

Nice one!

Enjoying the moment of being below 5th means Tolers got a top 10 in Div 7, and Crumley (run out as captain) managed a top ten in Div 6.

On the not nice side, Combs maxed himself at AV 41. Still a solid sprinter (nearly Cuthbert's equal), but would have been nice to get something out of HL or CB for him.

That makes me 5 training maxed now: Kavanagh, Albrecht, Holen, Crumley, Combs, and nobody has approached the 49 of Kavanagh.

[delicatemoth]

Funny you should mention Combs...

IoM team for Budapest-Debrecen (http://www.cyclingsimulator.com/?pag...recen+%28WT%29)

Illingworth (cpt)
Vencill; Ridsdale; Kavanagh (Leadouts)
Combs; Neville (Team-mates)

[matt j]

Only 11 teams signed up so far, but man does that look like a possible win for Illingsworth.

[longeared]

Another new Manxman on the free hire list - Lester Crumley

CL: Small DH: Average HL: None

SP: Good FR: Good CB: Average

TT: None TQ: Small